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The Sunday School
THE PRESENTATION IN THE
TEMPLE.
Luke 2:22.39.
Golden Text. "For mine eyes have
seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared
before the face of all people."
Luke 2:30 31.
HOME DAILY BIBLE READING.
Monday: Luke 2:22-39.
Tuesday: 1 Sam. 1:21.28.
Wednesday: Judg. 13:6.14.
Thursday: Gen. 22.1-13.
Fridny: Luke 18:9-17.
Saturday: Ps. 128.
. T7<? 11.1 m
OUIIUUJ L'JA. IG.l-lV.
TOPICAL OUTLINE.
The Infant Saviour in His Father's
House?
The presentation in the Temple, vs.
22-24.
The prophecy of Simeon, vs 2535.
The testimony of Anna, vs.
36-39.
LESSON COMMENTS.
The Source. Only Luke, of the four
gospel writers, describes this incident
in our Lord's life. It fitted in with his
purpose of depicting the Son of Man,
the perfect man, the light to lighten the
Gentiles as well as the glory of God's
people Israel.
The Times Forty days after Christ's
birth. The Levitical law fixed this
definitely. Seven days of ceremonial
"uncleannesB" followed by thirty days
of "purification." must follow the birth
of a son, and double this period that of
a daughter. At the end of these forty
days, the son, if the first-born, must be
"redeemed," as belonging to the Lord.
The l'lace: The proper court of the
temple where worshippers approached
nearest to the altar where the priest
presented their sacrifices. This was
Christ's first appearance in a building
to be made memorable by his ministry
there. It was the second temple, more
glorious than Solomon's, not because of
greater physical splendor or enrichment,
but because the presence of the
Ix)rd of the temple glorified it. It was
Zarubbabel's temple, greatly enlarged,
beautified and enriched by Herod, who
made it almost a new building.
The Persons: Joseph and Mary;
plain and poor people, as the offering
which they presented showed. The
usual offering for redemption was a
lamb with a turtle dove or young
pigeon, but where the costlier sacrifice
could not be afforded, the law i rovided
that two doves or pigeons might be
used- Jesus: the soil of Mary, forty
days old, an infant like any other, in a
true human nature. Simeon and Anna:
two very old people, devout and believing,
faithful to the word of God and
living in prayerful expectation of the
Messiah's coming. Simeon's age is not
mentioned, but the reasonable inference
is that he was of great age. Anna was
upwards of a hundred years old.
Obedience to law: It was a marked
characteristic of Christ that he always
had respect for the law which
bound the Jews. "Thus it becometh us
to fulfill all righteousness" was his
reasoning with John when he demanded
b&rtism at the latter's hand. His
regard lor the sanctity or the temple,
his direction to the healed lepers, and
other incidents illustrated and proved
the fact that he took great care to keep
the law and that he wished others to
do the same. Joseph and Mary before
him did this, and doutless it was their
THE PR ESBYTERI
Inculcation of this duty that was the
means, so far as his human mind and
heart were concerned, that developed
his faithfulness when he came to ma.
turity. Their faithfulness to duty was
reflected In his- For we must remember
that he was subject to his parents
and like all others with "true bodies and
reasonable souls." he had to grow In
wisdom and knowledge, and that these
came through the usual channels of
good training.
Supernaturallsm: Simeon's case
shows that during the period "between
tne testaments" uod was not "without
witness" in wonders and signs. To it
may be added others, such as the oftrepeated
miracle of the Pool of Slloam,
and the special gift of prophecy which
appeared to be attached to the highpriest's
office. God was giving evidence,
even through that dark period, that he
had not forgotten his covenant and his
covenanted people.
Exposition: "Simeon." a very common
name among the Jews. Fifteen of
the names Simeon and Simon, which
were the same, are mentioned in the
Bible. "The consolation of Israel:"
The "Comforter," the one who was to
be the spiritual deliverer of the world.
"Revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost:"
probably both immediately, by a special
revelation, and mediately, by the Word
of God. the divinely inspired revelation
to men, with which Simeon was most
familiar, and which was full of the
promise of a Messiah. "The Lord's
Christ:" The divinely appointed and
authorized Saviour. "By the Spirit:"
his worship was always "in spirit and
in truth," and such worship was God's
means of bringing him into contact with
the very person of Jesus. "Now lettest
thou thy servant depart: "as in the
Latin Version, "Nunce dimittis," and
hence the origin of that title for the
song of Simeon. "In peace:" to the
believer, having seen Christ, death is
no terror, but is full of the calmness of
trust and the confidence of assured
hope. "Thy salvation:" the sight of the
Saviour was a guarantee of the completion
of that for which he came. "Before
the face of all people:" universal,
unconcealed, self-evident to the entire
world. "The Gentiles." the blessings of
grace are now to be formally extended
to every race. A world-wide offer is
to be made. "The glory of the people
Israel:" the peculiar privilege of Israel,
in Christ's racial relation to it. was the
greatest honor conferred upon that people.
"Marvelled at those things:"
Joseph and Mary seemed not to have
understood as yet the full significance
of all these things or to have taken in
fully the fact that Jesus was the Messiah.
"Bless them:" this act on Simeon'B
part did not make Joseph and
Mary superior to all other good parents.
Here was a fine opportunity to set forth
something of Mary's pre-eminence if
J ? U 4UI t>..4 AU- njui
one uau auy uuuu liiiug. dul Liie Diijie
is silent here, as everywhere else, and
the worship or so-called "veneration" of
Mary is utterly without warrant.
Lessons: There were four elements
in the character of a good man: he is
just, or righteous, devout, waiting for
the "consolation of Israel." under the
direction of the Spirit. Careful attention
to outward duties, springing from
an honest heart, brings the favor of
God and man. Faithfulness is always
rewarded. One may have to wait long
for the blessing desired, but it will
surely come- Worship is a means to
revelation of Christ The gift of the
Spirit may be expected by those who
seek him and who are faithful to duty.
The consecration of the children to God
is the duty of all parents. Poverty exempts
none from obligation to serve
God. Christianity is a world-wide religion.
It is adopted to mankind. The
believer need have no fear of death.
AN OF THE SOUTH
Young People's Societies
FOREIGN MISSIONARIES.
Topic for Sunday, January 28: The
Foreign Missionary Whose Life Has
Most lusplred Me. 2 Corinthians 5:14.
20.
DAILY READINGS.
r
Monday: One that inspires. Isaiah
32:1-8.
Tuesday: Some traits. James 5:10-11.
Wednesday: Men that did things.
Hebrews 11:32.40.
Tl....... <1.>-. m . ???? ? -
...uliuuj . nrai missionaries. Acts
8:4.8.
Friday: The missionary spirit- Isaiah
50:4-9.
Saturday. The man in bonds. Revela.
tions 1:9-11-17.18.
It is an embarrassment of riches that
one encounters when the catalogue of
missionaries is called.
There were foreign missionaries in
Old Testament and New Testament days,
such as Abraham, Jonah, Nathan, Paul.
The early preachers of the cross,
such as Augustine, Patrick, and the
later, such as those sent out by Calvin
and Coligny were missionaries.
In the modern epoch, time will fall
us to name the many whose consecrated
spirit has taken them abroad, from
Carey to the last batch that sailed from
San Francisco.
Of those whose names stand out most
conspicuously, but not more worthily
than would be the names of a host of
other true and noble men, we might enroll:
William Carey, who began the
modern movement, and gave himself to
India.
Morrison, who laid the foundations of
the work in China.
John Leighton Wilson's work in
Atrica crowned by his successful effort
to suppress the African slave trade, and
Hampden C. DuBose's work In China,
crowned by his contribution to the putting
down of that curse of the East, the
opium traffic, were alone worth all the
expenditure and effort of our Church in
all the years of her missionary enterprise.
James Chalmers, in New Guinea, has
left a memory of devotion and courage
worthy of all praise and emulation.
David Livingstone, and the peerless
man Robert Moffat;, who opened the
interior of Africa, were princes among
men.
Our own Samuel Uapsley, martyrmissionary
to the Congo, too short
lived to do an appreciable work, has
moved the hearts of the church.
Bishop Hannington was much like
Lapsley, in a career just entered upon,
but his consecration was as "ointment
poured forth," the fragrance of which
is still pervading.
Alexander Mackay did more to bring
Uganda to the Christian faith than many
others combined. He was the model of
a missionary who helped both body and
soul.
Henry Martyn, in India and Persia,
has left a name which few possess.
His singular career is one of the most
impressive that can be read. Hig zeal
hag doubtless kindled a multitude of
hearts.
But the unnamed, quiet, self-effacing
men and women in all the lands form
the most impressive body of all. Un.
V,on rA " - -
vi auu uiiouug, mey nave carried
the Gospel banner to hamlet and village
and home, and to them must be
given the praise for* the largest number
who have been brought to Christ.
Reach up as far as you can, and God
will reach down all the rest of the
way.?John H. Vincent
#
[ January 17, 1912.
The Prayer Meeting
8ELF-SUBRENDEB.
John 12:25.
Week of January 14.
These words were spoken by our
Master following one of his announcements
of the approaching offering of
himself for our salvation. The hour
was at hand when he was to be glorified,
but this glorifying was to be accomplished
through his death. He was
to suffer and to enter into his glory.
His suffering was an atonement, an expiation
for sin and ours can never be,
yet it is an example for us and not only
an example, but the supreme instance
of the working of a great spiritual law.
We must surrender life in order to save
it and if we so love life as to withold
its service and resources from our Lord,
whatever sacrifice he may require, we
shall lose it.
Our Lord lived a faultless life, pure
and beautiful. No law was transgressed;
no service was omitted, no duty involved
in his humiliation, was evaded or
ignored. His enemies found no fault in
him. His very perfections irritated and
thwarted his oppontents. We see in
him combined the ideal of humanity
with the glorious revelation of Deity.
But there was in him more than faultless
obedience and service. There was
mediation, deliverance for his people,
triumph over sin and death, a potential
destruction of the works of the
devil. His mission was not simply to
show us a perfect life, but to give
himself a ranBom for many that by one
offering he might perfect forever them
that are sanctified.
Humanity needed more than a perfect
model for imitation. The invalid, en.
feebled by disease, needs more than to
see a specimen of perfect health and to
hear an appeal to imitate the
strength and skill of a. friend in vigorous
action. So our Lord's example
will not save us. The offering up of
himself as a sacrifice for sin was essential
and accordingly he gave himBelf
for us that he might redeem us from all
Iniquity. The grain of wheat may be
preserved sound and polished, but it
will remain unfruitful. Let it be cast
into the prepared ground and it soon
perishes, but the life that was in it
assumes new form, which rises in
strength and beauty and produces
thirty, sixty and an hundred fold. This
is the supreme fact of our Lord's ministry.
He died that we might live. His
soul was made an offering for sin that
our souls might be made eternally radiant.
The cross is the culmination of
it all. ThfiV Wtl? onmrv.? ^ "" ' * "'
? omv wuimciiu lauiueBR
life of Christ without the cross omit
the supreme fact that avails for our
salvation.
But the cross is alBo an example for
us A man must deny himself, take up
his cross and follow his Lord. It means
self-devotion, the giving cf the life, the
expenditure of one's powers es Ian
offering to his Lord; It is not an expiation,
it is an oblation. It is . ? surrender
of our lives to our Redeemer for
his appointed uses. We cannot redeem
others but we can give ourBelves to
service in winning them for Christ
We can toll and pray and testify and, if
need be, hazard our lives for their
sakes.
% , I
The relation oetween joy and duty is
nnf rocnom 1 * -u 11 L """*
?. ?va u siiuuiu ue- i no
disregard of duty destroys Joy In the
life. But the discharge of duty destroys
iuuch worry and sorrow and
brings the soul into quietness and
peace. John R. Mott has given a good
Injunction when he says: "Break out
Into duty, and I pledge you will soon
break out Into song."
i